About

Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke is an award-winning construction skills training program for at-risk youth in Hana, Maui—an isolated community on the island’s east coast with over two-thirds its population of Native Hawaiian ancestry.

Our approach is to teach academic subjects through real-life, hands-on application, where students can understand the concepts they’re learning through tangible examples. But these aren’t just examples for learning’s sake. Our projects meet real school and community needs, so our students’ education immediately serves those whose lives it touches.

Self-sustenance, sustainability in building—these are some of the principles we aim to pass on to the next generation, as we create caretakers of our community’s future, leaders of our islands.

The mission of Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke (“In Working, One Learns”) is to provide at-risk youth with a way to learn that makes sense to them, that builds their self-esteem and shows them they have the power to change their future.

On the outside we build structures—on the inside, we’re building lives.

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Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke is a 501c3 nonprofit organization (EIN# 02-0556883). Please help us do our work by making a donation. You can donate by credit card or with your PayPal account by clicking the button below.